Good morning,
The creator economy is growing more and more lucrative.
The influencer industry is worth approximately $250 billion, a figure that Goldman Sachs predicts will grow to nearly $500 billion by 2027. The 2024 Forbes Top Creator list, released today, includes 50 individuals, from MrBeast to the D’Amelio sisters, who earned almost $720 million over the last 12 months.
To create the ranking, Forbes looked at creators’ estimated gross earnings, follower counts, engagement rates and entrepreneurial activities.
Some internet personalities have parlayed their social media success into business ventures, ranging from hamburgers to energy drinks, while others are building production companies.
A Waymo robotaxi operating in San Francisco
Alphabet’s Waymo, the leading operator of AI-enabled robotaxis, has raised its biggest fundraising round yet at $5.6 billion as it expands ride services in three major U.S. cities and prepares to launch in two new ones. Waymo began developing autonomous technology 15 years ago, and while dozens of competitors have emerged, the company currently has no meaningful competition in the robotaxi business in the U.S.
McDonald's will resume sales of its Quarter Pounder burgers, the company announced Sunday, after testing by authorities in Colorado ruled out the company’s beef patties as the source of a large E. coli outbreak that resulted in one death and caused illnesses among dozens of others across multiple states. McDonald’s said the outbreak appeared to be “contained to a particular ingredient and geography” and said it was confident “any contaminated product related to this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain and is out of all McDonald’s restaurants.”
The Nasdaq reached an all-time high Friday, a first for the tech-heavy stock index in more than three months, as the group shook off tailwinds such as rising bond yields and enjoyed a boost from Tesla’s share price—before ultimately ending the day relatively flat. Leading the early rally were the “magnificent seven” behemoths, with Tesla leading the group.
MORE: Tesla shares continued their rally after the automaker reported better-than-expected third-quarter profits Thursday, with the stock rising 3.4% Friday to close at its highest share price in over a year. The 26% two-day gain for Tesla added about........